Watch the Five Films for Freedom from the British Council at the FDCP Cinematheque on March 21-22.4 min read

Watch LGBTQIA+ short films during Five Films for Freedom screenings on March 21-22 at FDCP Cinematheques nationwide.

This March, the global LGBTQIA+ digital campaign, Five Films for Freedom, will make its comeback. In the Philippines, the British Council has teamed up with the Film Development Council (FDCP) to provide free screenings at Cinematheque Centres on March 21st and 22nd, 2023. This marks the first time that the FDCP will be collaborating with the British Council for the event.

Five Films for Freedom Public screening schedules:
FDCP Cinematheque Centre – Manila: 22 March 2023, 6:30 PM
FDCP Cinematheque Centre – Iloilo, Davao, Zamboanga, Nabunturan, Negros:
21 March 2023, 4:00 PM
22 March 2023, 6:30 PM

Aside from the physical screenings, the movies can also be viewed online from March 15th to March 26th. This coincides with the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. The five movies for this year were handpicked by the British Council from BFI Flare’s lineup and tackle themes like safety and violence, love across borders, and evolving identities. The movies for 2023 are:

• All I Know by Obinna Robert Onyeri (Nigeria/USA)
• Butch Up! by Yu-jin Lee (South Korea)
• Eating Papaw on the Seashore by Rae Wiltshire and Nickose Layne (Guyana)
• Just Johnny by Terry Loane (UK – Northern Ireland)
• Buffer Zone by Savvas Stavrou (UK/Cyprus)

Viewers from all over the world are urged to demonstrate their support for LGBTQIA+ communities that face restricted freedom and equal rights by watching the movies on the British Council Arts YouTube channel or other platforms available in countries with limited access.

Since its launch in 2015, the Five Films for Freedom program has been accessible for less than 100 days but has already garnered 20 million views from individuals in over 200 countries, including those where homosexuality is illegal and where capital punishment is still practiced.

British Council Director of Film, Briony Hanson, said:

“Five Films for Freedom promotes rarely heard LGBTQIA+ stories from around the world, and makes them accessible to a global audience, particularly for people living in cultures where they cannot live or love as they would like. People can support this campaign through the hashtag #FiveFilmsForFreedom to drive home the message that love is a human right, no matter how we identify or where we are.”

Michael Blyth, BFI Flare’s Senior Programmer, said:

“We are delighted to once again be partnering with the British Council on Five Films for Freedom. This global campaign is an essential part of the BFI Flare programme, and it’s a privilege to share the work of these hugely talented filmmakers with millions of people around the world, many of whom do not have the same level of access to LGBTQIA+ film, or the rights to express themselves freely. This year’s campaign remains as vital and urgent as ever.”

The Five Films for Freedom initiative is part of the British Council’s efforts to foster connections, comprehension, and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts, education, and English language education. In 2023, the program’s five selected movies have been translated and made accessible with subtitles/closed captioning in 23 languages.

Additionally, during BFI Flare, the Five Films for Freedom program and filmmakers are featured at an exclusive reception event for policymakers in Westminster.